Universal shaft connected compound for rotary drilling rigs



J. H. WILSON UNIVERSAL SHAFT CONNECTED COMPOUND FOR May 17, 1960 ROTARY DRILLING RIGS Filed Nov. 1, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JOHN HART WILSON BY HIS :765 N 7:

May 17, 1960 J. H. WILSON 2,936,654

UNIVERSAL SHAFT CONNECTED COMPOUND FOR ROTARY DRILLING RIGS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 1, 1956 M- ll'lulf 4 I lwl mmi i immwmgwm Bill! I. l l l l n m: u 1

INVEN T0R. Jo/m Hari Wilson May 17, 1960 JQH. WILSON UNIVERSAL SHAFT CONNECTED COMPOUND FOR ROTARY DRILLING RIGS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed NOV. 1, 1956 4 Kw mm H m N WW J United States Patent,

UNIVERSAL SHAFT CONNECTED COMPOUND FOR ROTARY DRILLING RIGS John Hart Wilson, Wichita Falls, Tex. Application November 1, 1956,'Seria1 No. 619,821

7 Claims. (Cl. 74-722) This invention relates to engine compounds and more particularly to engine compounds for compounding two or more engines together for driving machinery, such as oil well drilling rigs.

It has long been the practice to compound two or more internal combustion engines in unitary driving relation so that the power of each engine could be applied individually to mud pumps and to the rotary table while drilling, but all the engines could be combined to supply power to the hoisting drum when pulling pipe. However, in compounding the engines into a single power unit, three different general arrangements have been previously used to enable the unit to be taken apart into eight-foot width sections, so they could be transported over highways.

The first of these methods was to make the compound along, unitary case section with shafts extending outward on the engine side and provided with a radial type constricting clutch which would engage a drum located on the engine flywheel. With this arrangement, the engines were removed and transported separately from the compound, and then replaced in alignment with the compound shafts for use. This method has the disadcantage of the difilculty that is encountered in realigning the engine shafts with the respective compound shafts, and if they were not aligned, a great load was thrown on the adjacent bearings, which might result in breakage of either the shafts or the bearings in the compound, or the breaking of the crank shaft in the engine, or breaking the converter, if a converter was used.

A second arrangement used to accomplish this purpose, was to make the compound sections so they could be taken apart, when it was necessary to make a move. In this arrangement the engines are mounted on skids and rigidly connected to a compound case section on the opposite end of the same skids. In such an arrangement, the compound case sections much be taken apart and the chains which interconnect the shafts in driving relation in the respective compounds must also be taken apart. The compound sections that are connected to the respective engines must also be disconnected in order that each engine and each compound case section may be moved separately. The objection to this method is that it is necessary, not only to separate the case sections, but to take the chains apart, which chains are in an oil bath, therefore it is also necessary to cover upthe open ends of the compound case sections, to prevent the entrance of grit and other foreign matter. Then with the move completed, the units must be set up again and the compound case sections put together, and the chains reconnected, all of which was diflicult and time consuming. There was also danger of getting dirt, grit and the like in the oil bath case, unless great care was exercised.

Athird method contemplates the use of a swinging compound, but this method, in which the compound sections swing about a common shaft, when the engines are spaced on normal center distances, results in an overall height too great to be carried on a truck bed, which over- "ice all height is usually greater than is allowed on highways, and this arrangement has the further objection in that, when lowered, it was difficult to put the shaft couplings together, and again these shaft couplings run in an oil bath, and since they must be taken apart, are subject to grit and the like getting into the housings, to cause wear on the shaft couplings.

The arrangement covered in this present application has none of the objections pointed out for the other arrangements, as the oil bath cases are not taken apart, and no chains need be disconnected, and when the engine sections are put together, there is no difiiculty in aligning the various engine and compound units, as the universal shafts will permit a very considerable amount of misalignment, which is not true of any of the other arrangements.

In the present invention, a compound arrangement is provided, whereby two or more engines may be coupled together in unitary driving relation.

An object of this invention is to provide a compound arrangement, wherein the compound housing of each individual engine is self-contained on a base, and is so arranged as to interconnect with one or more engines in driving relation. Another object of the invention is to provide an engine having a self-contained oil bath compound case, which case remains connected to the engine in driving relation at all times, and the drive shaft of which may be connected to or disconnected from other compounds without the necessity of gaining entrance into the respective compound cases.

Another object of the invention is to provide universal shafts with quick detachable universal joints, which will obviate the necessity of removing bolts or of exposing parts normally running in an oil bath, to dirt, grit, and other hazards to the disconnection thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a compounding arrangement whereby two or more engines or prime movers may be compounded together through universal shaft connections, so that true alignment between the drive and driven shafts is not a requisite for effective operation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an engine compounding arrangement which will enable the engines which are compounded together to be readily disassembled and reassembled, in a minimum amount of time with the minimum number of tools.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an engine compounding arrangement whereby each individual engine unit is fitted with a compounded chain gearing transmission whereby the respective transmissions of the engine units may be connected together to enable the use of the power from an individual engine, or the unitary compounding of a selected group of engines, or any driving arrangement thereof.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a compounding arrangement, whereby two or more engines may be compounded together in driving relation, by connected, detachable universal joint shafts.

With these objects in mind and others which will become manifest as the description proceeds, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts in the several views thereof in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an engine group compounded together in driving relation, and showing the universal shaft connections which connect the various end of the engine arrangement, and showing the com pound units mounted on the respective engine skid sills;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and showing only that portion of the compound which relates to the center engine unit;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detailed view showing the manner of attaching compound gearing unit cases to the respective skid sills; and

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but without showing a fluid conduit through the universal shaft assembly.

With more detailed reference to the drawing, the nu-- merals .1, 2, and 3 designate generally, engine and compound units comprising a base or skid sills 4, 6 and 8, upon which engines 16, 12 and 14, respectively, are mounted, together with the usual accessories connected thereto. The engine and compound unit 1 has a drive shaft 15 in the compound case 16 of the unit, which drive shaft 15 extends outwardly therethrough and has bearings 17 to journal same in said case. The compound unit case 16, on skid sills 4, is connected to engine by means of a clutch 11. One end of the compound case 16 extends toward the draw works of the drilling rig so that a driving chain 18 may be connected to the drive sprocket of the rotary drilling rig. The other end of compound case 16 extends toward compound unit 2 so that the case 16 extends over the adjacent skid sills 4 and 6, which case 16 has a shaft 20 journaled therein in bearings 22 and 24 in a vertical medial plane between adjacent skid sills 4 and 6.

Sprockets 26 and 28 are mounted on shafts and 20, respectively, around which sprockets is fitted a transmission chain 30, as will best be seen in Figs. 1 and 4. The air actuated clutch 11 is provided on engine 10, so as to selectively engage the engine 10 in rotatable relation with respect to the shaft 15.

The engine 12 has a pneumatically actuated clutch13, which clutch is connected in driving relation with shaft 52. In order to get air to the clutch 13, which is on the end of shaft 52, it is necessary to use a flexible tubular connection, as shown in Fig. 2, into which air coupling piece 114 is screwed, with a suitable gasket'therebetween. A hole is provided through universal shaft 56, the air conduit assembly designated generally at 113, comprises the following parts, air coupling piece 114, connector plug 116, O-rings 117 to seal between that part of the coupling and the connector plug 114, the flexible hose itself 118, having hose couplings 119 and 120 thereon. The hose connection 119 connects with connector plug 116 and the hose connection 120 is screwed into a collar 121 in rigid pipe 122, which pipe may be covered with a flexible hose-like element 123, to prevent abrasion between it and the wall of cylindrical hole H through shaft 56. A similar set of connections is provided for the air conduit assembly to pass through universal joints 57 and 58, with collar, coupling, hose couplings, all numbered the same except adapter fitting 119a, which adapter fitting is screwed into a second fitting 11% having O-rings between it and shaft 36 in compound case 34. -On the end of the shaft 36 is a flange connection 126 which is attached to the end of the shaft by means of bolts 127 and a fitting into which a rotary air coupling may be screwed.

The engine and compound unit 2 has a casing 34 mounted transversely between skid sills 6 and is secured thereto in such manner that shafts 36 and 40 are journaled therein in a manner similar to that shown for'shafts 20, in Fig. 1. The compound case 34 overhangs adjacent sill 4 on one side, and overhangs adjacent sill '8 on the opposite side, with the shaft 38 lying substantially within the same plane as the above mentioned shaft 20, and in approximate axial alignment therewith. Each of the adjacent ends of shafts and 38 are provided with the respectivejflanges 46 and 48, such as shown in my co-pend- 4 ing applications, Threaded Nut Ring for Shaft Coupling, Ser. No. 409,691, filed February 11, 195.4, and Quick Detachable Universal Joints, Ser. No. 332,440, filed lanuary Zl, 1953, now Patent No. 2,803,474, issued August 20, 1957, thereby enabling the universal joints 42 and 44 to be quickly attached to or to be detached from the respective flanges 46 and 48. A shaft 50 extends between universal joints 42 and 44 and has a portion of the respective joints connected to an end thereof. However, it is necessary to disconnect elements at only one end of the universal shaft 58, to enable the engine compound units 1 and 3 to be disconnected,however the shaft assemblies may be disconnected at both ends. A slide joint is provided in universal joint shaft assemblies 56, 56, and 108, as shown in Figs. 2 and 7, to compensate for small longitudinal variations in spacing between compound cases, and also to permit relative longitudinal movement of interconnecting of the quick detachable flanges and the respective shafts.

The shaft 52 has a portion of the flange unit 53 coninected thereto. The other portion of the flange unit 53 connects to one portion of universal joint 54. The other portion of the universal joint 54 connects to a universal shaft 56 which extends outward and has a portion of the universal joint 58 thereon. The other portion of the universal joint 58 has a portion of the flange unit 57 thereon. The other portion of the flange unit 57 connects to the shaft 36, in compound case 34. These universal joints 54 and 58, as well as the other universal joints, may be of the type whereby the flange units 53 and 57 may be quickly detached, if and when desired. The shafts 36, 56 and 52 are hollow, as will best be seen in Fig. 2, to permit air conduit assembly 113 to pass therethrough, to enable the air to be transmitted from rotary air coupling 106 on the outer end of shaft 36 through the shafts 36 and 56 to clutch 13. j

The end of compound case 34 opposite shaft 38, has a shaft 40 journaled therein. The compound case 34 is secured to sill 6 and extends over adjacent sill 8, so that the shaft 40 will be within a vertical medial plane between skid sills 6 and 8, as will best be seen in Fig. 1.

The engine and compound assembly 3- has a compound case 70 secured to sills 8 so that the inner end will overhang the adjacent sill 6. The engine unit 14 is mounted on skid sills 8 and has an air actuated clutch 19 thereon. A shaft 68 is journaled within compound case 70 intermediate the ends, in alignment with the axis of clutch 19, and is connected for selective driving thereof. The shaft 68 is ho-llowfor passage of air therethrough to actuate air clutch 19. The end of the case 70 adjacent sills 6 has a shaft 72 journaled therein so that the shaft 72 will lie substantially in the same vertical plane as the shaft 40 and be substantially in alignment therewith. The vopposite end of the case 70 has shafts '74 and 76 extending thereinto and journaled therein, as will best be seen in Fig. 1. The shaft 68 has a sprocket 78 thereon, which sprocket is in driving alignment with sprocket 80 on shaft 72. A chain passes around the sprockets 78 and to connect shafts 68 and 72 in driving relation. A sprocket 86 is secured to shaft 68 and is in driving alignment with sprocket 88 on shaft 76. A chain 84 passes around sprockets 86 and 88 to connect shafts 86 and 76 in driving relation.

An air actuated clutch 89 is mounted on shaft 76 and has a V- belt pulley 89a thereon, which is connected in driving relation therewith so upon engagement of clutch 89, the V-belt 90 is connected in driving relation with :a mud pump or the like.

A sprocket 92 is mounted on shaft 68 and is in alignment with sprocket 93 on shaft 74. A chain surrounds sprockets 92 and 93 and connects shafts 68 and-:74 driving relation. A clutch 94 is provided on shaft 74 to connect V-belt pulley 95 in driving relation with V-belt 95a to drive a pump or the like;

A flange unit 98 is provided, a portion of which ison shaft 72 and a portion being connected to a universal oint 101. The other portion of the universal joint 101 is connected to a universal shaft 100, which has a portion of the universal joint 102 thereon. The other portion of the universal joint 102 is connected to a portion of flange unit 103. The other portion of the flange unit 103 is connected to shaft 40 which is journaled in compound case 34. With the shafts connected in this manner engines 10, 12, and 14 may be used individually or in any combination, to drive the rotary table of the drilling rig, the pumps or the hoisting equipment, as will be brought out more in detail hereinafter.

The shaft 15 leading to engine is hollow and is provided with a rotary fluid coupling 104 for providing air to clutch 11, as is shaft 68, so as to provide air to clutch 19. A rotary fluid coupling 108 is connected to shaft 68 in a manner similar to the connection of the rotary fluid coupling 104, for directing air into shaft 68. Shafts 74 and 76 are provided with rotary fluid couplings 110 and 112, respectively, to supply air to the respective clutches 94 and 89, through shafts 74 and 76, respectively.

It is to be pointed out that the various compound case units 16, 34, and 70 are of a character wherein the chains are encased to prevent entrance of foreign matter, such as grit and the like, and to retain lubricant therein. Each of the respective cases has an oil sump in the lower portion thereof, which sumps do not require draining each time the unit is disassembled for moving. Furthermore, the chain 30 which surrounds sprockets 26 and 28 in compound case 16, the chain 63 which surrounds sprockets 61 and 64, and chain 65 that surrounds sprockets 60 and 62 in the case of the compound 34, remain connected in driving relation. The case of the compound unit 70 has chain 75 therein which surrounds sprockets 78 and 8.0, and has a chain 84 therein which surrounds sprockets 86 and 88, and a chain 94 therein which surrounds sprockets 92 and 93, which chains remain connected in driving relation at all times.

It will be readily appreciated that screw threaded rings of the respective flanges designated generally at 53 and 57 may be disconnected from screw threaded companion members 53a and 57a, respectively, and that the universal joint 54 is telescoped on splined shaft 56 to permit ready removal of the entire universal shaft assembly 56. After the flanges 53 and 57 are disconnected, the connector plugs 116, having O-ring seals therein, may be removed from air coupling pieces 114 and 11% and the hose 118 will flex sufficiently to permit the unit to be removed when disassembling the unit, and to be inserted into the respective companion pieces during assembly.

Radial keys 53c and 57c are provided intermediate companion flange members 53a and 53b and 57a and 57b to prevent relative rotation therebetween, when the respective complementary flanges are in abutting relation. The respective keys 53c and 570 are held in place by bolts 53d and 57d. .The form of universal shaft shown in Fig. 7 is constructed in a similar manner, except this form does not have the air conduit system therethrough.

Assembly To assemble a multiplicity of engine-compound units 1, 2, and 3 in driving relation, substantially as shown in Fig. 1, the engine-compound unit 1 is placed adjacent the draw works, so that chain sprocket 18a will be in alignment with the sprocket on the draw works, so the chain 18 can be passed around the sprockets so that the compound shaft will be in driving relation with the sprocket on the draw works. The second engine-compound unit 2 is fitted in substantially parallel relation with the engine unit 1, in such manner that the skid sills 6 adjacent the skid sills 4 will be moved beneath compound case 16 and compound case 34 on skid sills 6 will over-lap skid sills 4 adjacent skid sills 6 in such manner that shaft 38 of compound case 34 will be substantially in alignment with shaft in case 16. Whereupon, flanges 46 and 48 maybe connected to shafts 20 and 38 respectively so that the universal shaft 50 will connect to compound units 34 and 16 in driving relation.

After the engine-compoundunit 2 has been moved into place in the manner set out above, engine and compound unit 3 is moved alongside engine and compound unit 2 until skid sills 8 will be adjacent to skid sills 6 and the skid sills 8 are beneath compound unit 34. Whereupon the compound case of compound 70 will extend over skid sills 6 so that the shaft 72 of compound 70 will be substantially in a medial, vertical plane between adjacent sills 6 and 8, and in approximate axial alignment with the shaft 40 in compound case 34, whereupon, the portion of the flange unit 98 on shaft 72 is connected with the portion of the flange unit 98 that is on universal shaft 100, and if the flange unit 103 has been separated, the portion of the flange unit on the universal shaft is connected with the portion of the compound shaft 40 so as to connect engines 10, 12, and 14 in compound driving relation, so any one engine or any combination of engines may be connected either to the pumps, to the rotary table, or to the draw works in any combined relation desired. With the engines thus assembled, air hose conduits are connected to rotary fluid couplings 104, 106, 108, 110, and 112 to enable the various clutches to be controlled to give any pulling combination of engines 10, 12, and 14, desired.

While it is desirable to have shafts 36 and 52, and shafts 38 and 20 in axial alignment, as well as shafts 40 and 72, it is to be pointed out that universal joints interconnecting the respective shafts will permit an angular misalignment of the respective drive shafts, thereby eliminating tolerance fitting, which is not practical in the oil fields or on rough terrain.

In this manner, the setting up and connecting together of the various engine-compound units is greatly expedited, without lessening the effective operation of the unit.

Disassembly To disassemble engine and compound units 1, 2 and 3, to enable the moving thereof from place to place, the flanges of one universal joint on each of the compound shafts 50, 56 and 100 are disconnected, thereby enabling the shaft connected to the other of the respective universal joints to slide end-wise of the universal shaft sutficiently to enable the pilot shoulder on the flange on one of the universal joints to move away from a complementary pilot recess, which will enable adjacent shafts to be disconnected.

With at least one joint on each universal shaft disconnected in this manner, engine-compound unit 3 may be moved laterally away from engine-compound unit 2. After this unit has been moved, the same procedure is followed for engine-compound unit 2, whereupon the engine-compound unit 2 is moved laterally away from engine-compound unit 1.

With the chain 18 disconnected, the chain housing 16a may be separated from compound case 16, which will enable the movement of the engine-compound unit 1.

While any type universal joint may be used, it is preferable to use a universal joint of the character as set forth in my co-pending application Ser. No. 332,440, filed January 21, 1953, for Quick Detachable Universal Joints, now Patent No. 2,803,474, issued August 20, 1957, or in co-pending application Ser. No. 409,691, filed February 11, 1954, for Threaded Nut Ring for Shaft Coupling, now Patent No. 2,815,231, issued December 3, 1957.

A suitable pump may be utilized in each of the cases to direct the lubricant from the sump thereof into the chains, sprockets and bearings of the respective cases.

Having thus clearly shown and described the invention, I claim:

1. A compound assembly for compounding a plurality of engines into a driving combination, at least three engines each having a crank shaft, each of said engines being mounted on a base, said bases being adapted to be in side-by-side relation, a compound case on each of said bases, a drive shaft in each of said compound cases, said drive shafts being in alignment with the respective crank shafts of said engines, a clutch connecting each engine crank shaft with the respective drive shaft in said compound case, a driven shaft journaled in at least one end of each of said compound cases and being parallel to the drive shaft therein, said compound cases extending over a side of said adjacent engine base so that said driven shaft in each of said compound cases is approximately mediate said engine bases, a universal joint and shaft assembly, said universal joint and shaft assembly connecting said driven shafts in each of said compound cases that are mounted on adjacent ends of said compound cases in end to end relation, a chain power transmission means connecting the respective drive shafts with said respective driven shafts in said compound cases, at least a further shaft journaled in one of said outer compounds near an end thereof, and chain power transmitting means interconnecting said further shaft with a shaft within said compound case for transmitting the power therethrough of one or more of said engines.

2. A compound unit assembly for compounding a plurality of prime movers, each of which has a drive shaft, which drive shafts are substantially parallel, into a unitary power driving combination comprising; a base mounting each of said prime movers, which bases are mounted in adjacent, side-by-side, substantially parallel relation, 21 power transmission unit mounted on each of said bases and being connected in driving relation with the drive shafts of the respective prime movers, a driven shaft of each of said transmission units being connected in parallel, driving relation with the respective drive shafts of said prime movers and lying in a substantially vertical plane, which plane passes between bases of adjacent prime movers, said respective driven shafts being connected in driven relation with the respective drive shafts of the respective prime movers, said respective driven shafts being connected in end to end relation.

3. A compound unit assembly for compounding at least two engines into a power driving combination comprising; at leasttwo bases, an engine mounted on each of said bases, each of said engines having a crank shaft, a power transmission unit mounted on each of said bases, each of which power transmission units has a drive shaft journaled therein, each drive shaft being in axially aligned relation with the crank shaft of the respective engine, clutches interposed between said respective crank shaft and said respective drive shaft to operatively connect said respective engines in driving relation with the respective drive shafts, at least one driven shaft journaled in each said transmission unit, power transmission means connecting said respective driven shafts in driving relation, each said driven shaft lying in a vertical plane parallel to the axes of said crank shafts, which plane passes between said adjacent bases, the driven shafts lying in said plane being in approximately end to end, axially aligned rela-. tion, and further shaft means intermediate the ends of said last-mentioned driven shafts and connecting said driven shafts in end to end, power transmitting relation.

4. A compound unit assembly as defined in claim 3, wherein said further shaft means is provided with a universal joint on eachend thereof, which universal joints are connected to said respective driven shafts.

5. A compound unit assembly for compounding at least three engines into a power driving combination; comprising at least three bases, an engine mounted on each of said bases, each of said engines having acrank shaft, a power transmission unit mounted on each of said bases, each of which power transmission units has a drive shaft journaled therein, each drive shaft being in axially aligned relation with the crank shaft of the respective engine, clutches interposed between said respective crank shafts and said respective drive shaftsto operatively connect said respective engines in driving relation with the respective drive shafts, at least one driven shaft journaled in eachtransmission unit, power transmission means connecting said respective drive shafts and said respective driven shafts in driving relation, at least two of said driven shafts lying in each of two vertical planes parallel to the axes of said crank shafts, each of which planes passes between adjacent bases, the driven shafts lying in said respective planes being in approximately end to end, axially aligned relation, and further shafts, eachhaving a universal joint on each end thereof, positioned between and interconnected in power transmitting relation with the respective driven shafts lying in end to end relation. 7

6. A device as defined in claim 3, wherein each of said transmission units has a housing having a portion thereof extending outward from said base, the bottom of each said extending'portion being off-set upwardly, said driven shafts being supported in journaled relation within said outwardly extending portions of said transmission housings so that when said bases are positioned in adjacent, side by side relation each said driven shaft will extend outwardly therefrom in substantially axially aligned relation to another of said driven shafts.

7. A device as defined in claim 6, wherein a sprocket is mounted on each of said drive shafts and a sprocket is mounted on each corresponding driven shaft on the respective units, and wherein power transmission chains surround said respective pairs of sprockets on said respective units to connect said adjacent engines in power transmission relation with respect to each other, which chains remain in assembled relation when said further shafts connecting said driven shafts are disconnected.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED I STATES PATENTS 

